Spring: Chapter Notes
Here you will find summaries of each chapter, pieced together carefully. Please do update as this will be heavily used as a reference for the Wiki. Part One: The Rider and Her Quest Chapter 1: The Rider and Her Quest Characters -- S: Imbolc -- B: x -- M: Beornamund * Waseley Hill; Englalond. * Imbolc sits perched on the White Horse, her steed, as she thinks about the mysteries of the Universe. She dismounts on Waseley Hill, thinking of the prophecy of the Shield-Maiden. Chapter 2: Bedwyn Stort Characters -- S: Bedwyn Stort -- B: Brief, Pike, Barklice -- M: * (wip) Chapter 3: Pact Characters -- S: Bedwyn Stort, Imbolc, Brief, Pike, Barklice -- B: x -- M: Beornamund * Imbolc warns Bedwyn that someone was coming to Englalond, the "giant-born". Find him, and she promised to ask the Mirror-of-All to return his life to him (by the light of the rising sun). He accepts her task. He returns the years back to Imbolc as does she, he becoming younger, she, older. * Imbolc claims that with the "giant-born" he would aid them to find the Shield-Maiden; Imbolc's sister. * Brief and the others recollect the situation at hand, and noticed that white hair had grew upon Stort (a sign of innocence and ancient wisdom in youth). They promise to find the "giant-born" in a pact, before hiding from a nearby human: Arthur Foale. Chapter 4: Strange Site Characters -- S: Arthur Foale, Margaret Foale -- B: x -- M: Beornamund * Arthur examines the site nearby, and claims it was where Beornamund had worked his forge. Margaret his wife (over the phone) wasn't sure. Arthur explains he should stop excavating the site and find some other way to study it. Chapter 5: Giant-Born Characters -- S: '''Yakob, Jack, the Modor, the Sita -- B: x -- '''M: (wip) * In the uplands of Germany, three hydden of the Harz Mountains were confirming if "the boy" was the one. Of the three, the Ealdor, the leader of the village spoke for them. The Harz Mountain hydden were sworn enemies of the Sinistral, who dominated the Hyddenworld with their dark armies: the Fyrd. * The Ealdor, confirmed he was Jack's grandfather as the Modor asked. * The Modor promised to look after Jack, or "Yakob" as he was known at the time, only for long enough so he could fend for himself, and guise himself as a human in Englalond. Part Two: Fires of the Universe Chapter 6: The Call Characters -- S: Arthur Foale, Margaret Foale * In Berkshire, England - a phone rings, a month later, amongst the untidy house it was hard to find. The call had told Arthur, "The boy is coming. He is ready now and he must come. It is too dangerous here. He comes. All is ready." -- With that, the call dropped out and the phone died. Chapter 7: Into the World of Humans Characters -- S: Jack * In North Yorkshire Moors, the north-east of England, Jack was dropped off at the front door of a foster home in March. To them, Jack was certainly an oddity, his behaviours odd, but odder still, were his clothes and belongings. * He was teased by an older boy of ten, taking away the soft toy and the teasing was met with aggression as Jack grabbed a folded TV magazine to fight with. The bullies were beaten by Jack, and quickly, a staff member assessed the situation while he retrieved his soft toy back, giving him name to the bullies. The aggression was bad enough to have one of the two bullies sent to a doctor, while the other laid down to catch his breath. * Confused, the staff looked into Jack's past, if they even could, to find a number in Jack's bag, Arthur Foale's number. Chapter 8: On Borrowed Time Characters -- S: Imbolc -- M: Beornamund * Her steed, the White Horse, arrived with her, landing in a field in Warwickshire of Englalond. She was aware of the coming of Jack, and touching the last remaining gem on her pendant (Winter), which it turns out, it too, had vanished. She knew, she had to find the Shield Maiden. Chapter 9: Assignment Characters -- S: Arthur Foale, Roger Lynas, Margaret Foale * Arthur Foale's phone rang again; Roger Lynas was calling about Jack. First argument started, but then Margaret took over. Finding out the boy's name, and a promise that they'd be contacted frequently about the whole ordeal. Being given a number to call, and information that Jack would be sent to London for further assessment. * Margaret was stressed, as talking about Jack had stirred something in her, as if Jack was her child. She had never been a mother, and she felt that something was happening, and Jack was linked with that something. Margaret explains that she feels like something awful might happen to Jack and that she felt this way because she could do nothing about it. Chapter 10: Master Brief and Friends Characters -- S: Imbolc, Brief -- B: Pike, Bedwyn Stort * As it rained in the heavy storm and wind, Imbolc walks with Brief, Pike and Bedwyn Stort, along with some stavermen hydden. She shapeshifts into her favourite guise: a middle-aged hydden pedlar from Ireland. Stort was leading the group, looking for something. They climb an escarpment, which she climbs too. They find an old railway line and an old platform where a station in the country once stood, though its buildings too, were all gone. * None except Brief had known her true identity at the time. * Imbolc tells him that she had travelled across Europe to find him, to warn him about the ongoing storm and that the particular storm would be the worst in living memory. Brief, however, was sceptical. As she tells the warning once again, she gives Brief a comb for his beard, more as gratitude that he had made it easy for her to join Brief's group, rather than caring about his appearance. * She reveals she is looking for her successor: not a Peace-Weaver, but a Shield Maiden. Not only that, but that her successor could very well be human. * They then begin to finally talk of Bedwyn Stort. Chapter 11: Storm Warning Characters -- S: Jack * In the waiting room of a health centre in Thirsk, Jack was sitting alone. Thirsk is a small market town in the Vale of York, and a few miles east of the motorway to London. Here, Jack was to be moved from his original foster care centre. A woman was yet to pick Jack up, though the storm slowed things down, and a nationwide alert on the television warned of the immense storm -- Jack wouldn't be leaving any time soon. Chapter 12: Prodigy Characters -- S: Pike, Imbolc, Brief, Bedwyn Stort * Imbolc, Brief and Pike all talk about Bedwyn Stort, and who he is, where he came from and how he once saved Pike's life from a quagmire. * Bedwyn Stort recognises Imbolc, and she confirms her identity; thus it became all the more important to shelter from the heavy storm. Chapter 13: Decision Characters -- S: Clare Shore, Katherine Shore, Jack, Richard Shore * To the north, Clare stopped at the car park of the health centre in Thirsk to pick up her husband, Richard Shore. Both Clare and Katherine ran inside to avoid the downpour. Inside, Katherine meets Jack for the first time. Clare suggests to Richard that they take Jack to drop him off near Wembley, where his case worker was. * Though shy, Katherine and Jack slowly become friends. Katherine also takes the white horse that Jack had placed away, which he seemed fine with. * Richard, Clare, Katherine and Jack all hopped into a car, and began their journey. Chapter 14: Hail Characters -- S: Richard Shore, Clare Shore, Katherine Shore, Jack * Driving into the storm with thunder and lightning, the ride to London started as a bumpy one. Then, a storm of hail rained down on the car, which caused Richard to pull over. Things weren't looking good. Chapter 15: Standing Guard Characters -- S: Brief, Imbolc, Bedwyn Stort, PIke * Back with Brief, Stort and the others, they are weary with the storm overhead and then a scent... Fyrd, maybe. But oil seemed most prominent. Were the Fyrd spilling oil on the road? Chapter 16: Very Wyrd Characters -- S: Richard Shore, Katherine Shore, Jack, Clare Shore * The Shores' were on the journey still, with one stop to a service station. Concerned, Clare offered to drive for Richard, but he denied and they both continued the drive. As they neared Birmingham, the traffic slowed and soon traffic police were illuminated in their headlights. An officer told them that if they were heading south, they were to follow the diversion signs to lead them back onto the motorway. * As the storm became a complete blur, the car had finally crashed. Chapter 17: Crash Characters -- S: Pike, Bedwyn Stort, Brief -- B: Imbolc, Jack -- M: Beornamund * The Fyrd were indeed spilling oil on the road, possibly in revenge against humans for the damage they have done to the world. There had in recent months been a spate of deliberate accidents with no regard for life, so that the Fyrd could raid the crashed cars for their contents. * Stort thought that perhaps they could burn the oil away, though would be impossible in the storm. * Then what should they find, but a vehicle heading their way on the bridge that Brief, Pike, Stort and the others were standing on. With a loud thud, the car crashed away ramming first into an oak tree, and then into one of the piers of the bridge, shaking the Hydden around, until the car came to a complete stop on the road below them. After the crash, a fire began to burn, that even the rain couldn't put it out as it was burning too strongly. The car then exploded. * Imbolc claimed that the Shield Maiden was still inside the vehicle, and luckily, Clare, Katherine and Jack were all still alive -- Richard though, not so lucky. Chapter 18: Worried Characters -- S: Roger Lynas, Margaret Foale -- M: Richard Shore, Jack, Arthur Foale * Roger Lynas speaks with Margaret Foale regarding where Jack was, and of course, Roger had no idea as the storm was to blame; thus the Shores' couldn't answer the phone calls... Chapter 19: Flames Characters -- S: Richard Shore, Clare Shore, Katherine Shore, Bedwyn Stort * Richard awakens from unconsciousness, to find his car had been absolutely wrecked, the car roof was gone and a fire was still burning around the car. Looking around, he saw his wife had been struggling with a stuck seat-belt while Katherine was sitting in the back of the car, in shock. Jack had disappeared. * Richard then helps aid Clare from her seat, shoving her through the opening where the door was. * Reappearing, Jack tries to free Katherine from her seat, who was now awake and very, very afraid. Richard then dies, overcome by the fire. Jack managed to free Katherine, and fleeing away from the car, Jack again fell into unconsciousness. * The Fyrd appeared before Katherine, and as they tried to take Jack, Katherine refused. * Bedwyn Stort arrived at the scene, falling down the embankment from the bridge to reach them. Chapter 20: From the Edge of the Universe Characters -- S: Pike, Bedwyn Stort, Brief, Imbolc, Brunte, Lavin Sinistral -- B: Katherine, Jack * Pike stood to protect his group from the Fyrd: Brunte and Lavin Sinistral (the third unknown). Lavin had spoken that they were ordered to detain Jack, and announced that he was the newly appointed Quentor of Brum. He threatened Brief that if he got in the way between him and Jack, he would be punished. * Firing an arrow at the group, the White Horse appeared, taking the arrow which broke into pieces like glass. The Peace-Weaver interrupted the battle, and both sides, Lavin and Brief, fled away. Chapter 21: Treachery Characters -- S: Igor Brunte, Lavin Sinistral * Here we learn a bit about Brunte's past, and how he came to be a murderer. * Brunte kills the Quentor, Lavin Sinistral, with his two knives and then set forth to Brum. Chapter 22: Healing Characters -- S: Imbolc, Brief, Jack, Pike, Stort -- B: Clare Shore, Katherine Shore -- M: Richard Shore * Brief examines Jack, his clothes burned; they apply bin-bags filled with hail to the burns of Jack and Clare Shore. Katherine sits by Jack to reassure him. * The group of hydden foresee that Katherine is the Shield-Maiden from a slice in the sky (The Fires of the Universe), hovering over her in showing fire and the stars. * An ambulance is called; Brief and the others go into hiding. The vehicle arrives along with a police car and a second ambulance. Katherine is placed in the same ambulance as her mother, while Jack is placed in the second. The body of Richard Shore was removed. * Brief prays for them all as he points his staff in the sky, including Richard and the group of hydden he was with. Brief as well, proposes that nobody should know about what they all had witnessed that night. They then turn to begin their journey back to Brum. * Stort slips away again, and finds what Jack had left behind: his rucksack. Pike takes it and states that it was empty. Brief folds it and places it into his own bag. Chapter 23: Aftermath Characters -- S: Margaret Foale, Arthur Foale -- B: Roger Lynas -- M: Jack, Katherine Shore, * Margaret Foale speaks to Roger Lynas via telephone, about Jack and how his burns were deep and severe - that it was astonishing that he had lived at all. Then, Roger speaks about Katherine, and again about Jack's stay at the Birmingham hospital regarding his burns. * Clare had made a bond with Margaret and Arthur quickly, to Margaret's warmth and to Arthur's good humour. * Regarding Katherine's future, Roger Lynas invited the Foales' to a meeting. Arthur agreed. * The meeting began at Northfield General Hospital in a conference room, where Katherine was looked after. Jack was sent to a specialist burns unit in London. The question had come up however, if Arthur could look after Katherine and Jack as a guardian. * Katherine was sitting by her mother's bed, clutching onto a white horse soft toy; the very same that Jack had given her. The question had been fulfilled; Arthur and Margaret were now Katherine's guardians. * They take Katherine to Waseley Hill with Clare's approval. * Clare is left with Margaret, to who she almost reveals the sightings of the hydden, but decides not to. Part Three: Ten Years Later Chapter 24: The Call Characters -- S: Jack, Katherine -- M: -- Arthur Foale, Margaret Foale, Clare Shore, Richard Shore, Roger Lynas * Katherine calls Jack, regarding Clare, who had been chronically incapacitated since the car accident. She, however, had come to see Jack in the hospital afterwards, since then however there had only been regular cards at Christmas and on his birthday. Katherine tells Jack that she was near the end now, and she wanted to see him. Jack wasn't so keen on the idea. * Fact: Clare and Katherine were now sharing the Foales' huge house in Berkshire. * Flashback to Jack in hospital; he at eleven and Katherine at ten. Jack complains, that if it hadn't been for Katherine's parents picking him up, his incident may never have happened... however he can handly get the words out. She was going to speak back, but didn't finish the sentence. * Returning to the present, Katherine also states that Arthur had disappeared, and she needed someone to talk to. Jack says that he would also see Clare. Chapter 25: Talk Characters -- S: Jack, Katherine -- M: Margaret Foale * Katherine and Jack become friends again, talking about recent events. Even though he didn't say it, Katherine had been on his mind for months. They talk about the White Horse Hill, near the place that she was staying at, and in his thoughts, Jack loved the postcard of it that she had sent of him. Chapter 26: Room With a View Characters -- S: Katherine, Samantha, Jack, Clare, Margaret Foale -- M: Arthur Foale, * Katherine sits at her window in the Woolstone House, looking at the escarpment of White Horse Hill. She talks to Samantha, her friend, about her feelings for Jack, which she was happy about. * We learn about Katherine's adolescence and her ties with her friend Sam. * The day that Jack would visit the Woolstone House had come. Katherine sets up Jack's room, and Clare is upset that Katherine hadn't found the time to talk to her properly. Chapter 27: White Horse Characters -- S: Jack, Katherine -- M: Clare, Margaret Foale * Jack sees the White Horse running around in the field of Berkshire. * As he left London, Jack arrived at Woolstone and met Katherine again for the first time in years. They kept their feelings to themselves. Katherine led Jack into the house, and before she took him in to see Clare, she warns him about how she had changed; how she would 'see things'. Chapter 28: Clare Characters -- S: Jack, Clare, Katherine * Jack sees Clare after seeing the garden; Jack was stunned as he never had been around a dying person before. She thanked him for coming and talks in her wild, delusional matter, or rather, in her way of the hydden. She touches Jack and his scars, fascinated by him. Katherine butted in however and whispered that her mother would sleep now, as she stayed awake just to see him. * Jack looks out at the White Horse on the Hill, then back to Clare who he promised he'd look after her always. Katherine says that she'd look after him, though mouthed to Clare so Jack couldn't hear her. Chapter 29: House Characters -- S: Katherine, Jack, Margaret, Clare -- M: Arthur * Katherine shows Jack around the house, and to the guest's room. Jack unpacks as Katherine leaves. Soon enough, Jack falls asleep and has a nightmare; him on his back in the dark burning, young Katherine standing and staring at him, the hydden man coming to cool his burns and then -- the gong awoke him. * Awakened, he sees Katherine's offering of flowers near his bed. He sees Katherine at his door, and she takes him down for mealtime. Tending to Clare, she sits and converses with Jack, catching up from all the years behind them. * Margaret returns by cab, checking on Clare and commenting that she looked better. Clare asks if Margaret could feel the difference in the house. Agreeing, she wished that Arthur too was here. It had been three months since Arthur's disappearance. Clare moves the conversation by talking about Jack's arrival instead. Chapter 30: First Steps of the Dance Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 31: Into the Garden Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 32: Revelation Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 33: Ridgeway Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 34: Eye of the Horse Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 35: Going Home Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 36: Warning Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 37: Out of the Dark Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 38: In the Library Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 39: Farewell Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 40: On Waseley Hill Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 41: Old Scars Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 42: Shadows Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 43: Bonfire Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 44: Lost Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Part Four: Into the Hyddenworld Chapter 45: Into the Henge Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 46: Sinister Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 47: Departure Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 48: Captive Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 49: Camp Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 50: Fight and Flight Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 51: Arrival Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 52: By the Devil's Quoits Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 53: Into the City Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 54: Unobtainable Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 55: Crossing Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 56: Epiphany Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 57: Nightmare Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 58: Departure Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 59: Sisters Chaste Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 60: Resurrection Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 61: Hais Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 62: At the West Gate Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Part Five: Brum Chapter 63: Old and New Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 64: Lord Festoon Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 65: Jiggered Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 66: Brunte Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 67: The Hands of Modor Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 68: Caught Again Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 69: Make It Plain Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 70: Party Time Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 71: Admonishment Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 72: Party Over Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 73: The Cunning Knot Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 74: Reunion Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 75: Massacre Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 76: The Marshal Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 77: The Chamber of Seasons Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 78: Doors Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 79: Flight Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Part Six: Spring Chapter 80: The Village Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 81: Illness Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 82: Regimen Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 83: Scrumpet Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 84: Healing Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 85: Farewell Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Part Seven: Shield Maiden Chapter 86: Return Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 87: Discovery Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Chapter 88: The Season Turns Characters -- S: (wip) * (wip) Category:Books